Morbid curiosity made me look forward to the boat ride, and we met the skipper in the garden outside the quaint cottage.

“Do you have your reply, my laird?” he asked of the island’s owner.

Fin smiled and tapped his temple with a finger. “I do, Captain, but I’ll be sending it over myself. Have you room enough for two castaways in search of a clothing shop?”

The captain wrinkled his nose. “The room, aye, but the clothing-” He paused and shook his head. “You won’t find anything good in these parts, my laird.”

Rather than show disappointment, Fin laughed. “Glad to hear it. Now if you’ll take us ashore we’ll see what we can find.”

A dark shadow passed over the captain’s brow before he turned away, his shoulders stiff and a twitch to his nose. “Aye, my laird. . .”

“I don’t want to be too much trouble,” I whispered to him as we followed the salty sailor down to the landing.

He shook his head. “No trouble at all. There’s a clothing shop just in town.”

I looked from the ragged back of the captain’s coat to the laird. “But the captain just said-”

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